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Executive Interview: Shahid Azim,
Founder and CEO,Call Central Inc.
What are the top 5 reasons organizations
outsource to you these days and how does this compare to say
5 years ago?
Today, both the motivation and factors
affecting companies to outsource have changed drastically
over what was happening five years ago. These days more and
more forward thinking companies seem to be looking at outsourcing
as a ”Strategic” move rather than a pure price
play. Companies are looking to us an offshore outsourcing
partner that provides the best fit in terms of focus areas,
management expertise, and niche verticals. Outsourcing is
really the way forward for top managers to stay focused on
their core competencies and this realization is now trickling
down to the small and medium enterprise levels. Five year’s
ago, companies were primarily looking at “Cost”
as the key dominant factor for outsourcing. Quality of Service
has emerged as a major decision making factor in terms of
selecting an offshore partner and it’s with this vision
that our company has set to differentiate itself from the
pack. More companies are coming to us today being driven with
a need to find a partner where both organizations can have
effective multi tiered channels of communications at all levels
of management.
What effects do legislation have on
the outsourcing industry and what are your views on this?
Surely legislation such as the National
DNC (Do Not Call) Registry is driving business away from the
telemarketing model, however if we observe the outsourcing
industry as a whole we feel that there will be other verticals
that should observe growth moving forward. In terms of outsourcing,
it really has not had an impact as companies still are driven
by the same factors as before to outsource non core business
activities.
What challenges do offshore outsourcers
face that domestic ones do not?
We believe that the challenges and
the dynamics of the offshore industry are quite different
from what onshore centers are faced with. In terms of acquiring
new customers, “perceptions” about not just the
service provider but the market they are in, plays a key role
in customer’s final choice. From an operations point
of view, most of our work is done in night shifts and that
does bring challenges in terms of getting our agents to and
back from work, having in-house cafeterias, and also the long
term affects of working night shifts. Technology always seems
to be taken as a constant, however being 10,000 miles away
from the front end brings its own set of challenges.From an
HR perspective, most of our agents have a master degree either
in Business or Computer Sciences, and it can be big task to
keep them professionally challenged continuously. We have
a very extensive professional and personal development program
to provide well defined career paths for all our operations
staff. We have been very surprised at the quality of agents
we have come across in Pakistan and do believe that they are
our core assets in terms of providing us the competitive edge
in the marketplace. Call Central has emerged as a market leader
in terms its proactive approach to the human elements of the
industry.
What are the key drivers for companies
to outsource offshore?
The single most dominant theme that
we hear from our customers is that they want to remain competitive
in the market and in order to do so, they need to find a better,
cheaper, and cost effective way of improving their bottom
line. Not many companies realize this but the net positive
effect on operations in the US, is far greater than the pure
savings on cost when off shoring. As the global economy makes
a slow recovery, companies are seeking to cut expenses, reduce
headcounts, and improve service levels. With the Offshore
model, savings really come in three forms, immediate dollars
on the P&L, eventual improvements in processes, and avoidance
of costs.
What challenges do companies face when
outsourcing their call center functions and how should they
minimize risk to their core business?
In theory offshore outsourcing is
a no-brainer! However, companies need to find the right strategic
partner when looking to outsource call center functions. The
primary challenge arises in finding the right partner with
a good strategic fit. Companies should not be too focused
on finding the cheapest as that’s a very slippery road!
Seek out offshore partners that have a clear “qualitative
& quantitative” value proposition in terms of service,
capabilities, management, and operational deliverables. Once
you have created a checklist of these parameters, it’s
the first step in addressing your risks in the offshore marketplace.
What would
you say are the top 5 questions a company should ask a prospective
outsourcer?
- Management experience and background.
- Quality of Human Resources.
- Technology & Infrastructure.
- Portfolio of Deliverables.
- Operational and Quality Processes.
Do you feel that a client of an outsourcer
should have unrestricted access to agents/reps working on
their behalf and why do you believe this?
Yes, I believe that clients should have open access to agents
simply because they represent the “key touch point”
to the end customers. Companies are well aware that it’s
much easier to keep an existing client than gain a new one,
in terms of resources and money spent. At Call Central, we
are confident about the quality of our agents that we not
only allow open access to our agents but also empower our
strategic partners and clients to get engaged in the final
screening and rewards for our agents. This is simply to give
our clients the comfort level and the feeling of us being
an extension of their operations in all respects and addresses
any concerns with respect to losing control or quality issues.
Trust is the key to building any long-term business relationship
and providing unrestricted access is simply a step in that
direction.
About Shahid Azim
Shahid Azim is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer
of Call Central Inc. and comes with an international business
and finance background, with over 8 years of experience heading
a consulting firm in USA and Pakistan. During this time, he
represented the interests of various diverse companies. He
has a post-graduate business degree from Harvard University
and holds a BBA in Business Finance from Seattle University.
Author: ContactCenterWorld.com
Date and Time Posted: 01/27/2004 5:23:06
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